With the renewed focus on increasing ventilation rates, natural ventilation specialist, Thomas Bamber, discusses how to strike a balance between airflow and comfort – in winter and summer. Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash As an HVAC engineer who keeps descriptions of what I do fairly lean, it’s bizarre how ventilation systems are suddenly such…
Passive House is a standard for efficiency, resulting in ultra-low energy buildings, particularly in heating or cooling. Passive House principles bring great value to higher education institutions, with a wide range of benefits including incentives for occupants; more comfortable learning environments, specially designed and purpose-oriented spaces, and eco-friendly credentials that draw in and retain sustainably…
Integral Group continues to set new sustainability standards in higher education projects and schools around the globe. From recent Carbon Neutral Infrastructure Analysis at the University of Michigan, to designing the UK’s first PassivHaus Plus Certified True Net Zero School, Hackbridge Primary. In Australia, higher education project excellence continues in the design of facilities achieving…
Cherry Chan, Mechanical Engineer at Elementa Consulting, talks about her life-changing move across the globe, the excitement of seeing a building come to life and overcoming her parents’ concerns around a career in engineering. When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in engineering and what inspired you to do so? I studied…
Phase 1A of the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area Master Plan was the first of six to completely renovate and expand the existing 104-acre site into a 120-acre recreational area. Integral Group provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and technology services to this project. In this interview, Associate Gislene Weig reveals the “magic” behind this highly coordinated…
Following the release of the Refrigerants & Environmental Impacts: A Best Practice Guide lead author Louise Hamot, Integral’s Global Lead of Life Cycle Research discusses the impact refrigerants have on the environment and how the guide can help professionals mitigate these effects. Related articles Refrigerants & Environmental Impacts: A Best Practice Guide IG | VISION Embodied…
Decisions made in years gone by are determining whether office buildings can react easily, rapidly, and cost-effectively to COVID today, adapt to the next normal, and be reimagined for the future. The implications for the integration between building skin and systems are profound. Ever since COVID-19 swept the globe our immediate and collective focus has…
The built environment must prevent rising carbon fast as climate emergency is declared. Today a BBC news headline declared “The UK has been dealt a ‘brutal reality check’ on its climate change ambitions” from environmentalists. The story highlights that the government’s official climate change advisers are warning ministers that they are failing to cut emissions…
The Glory Days The Strand Palace hotel has had a long and colourful history. During the 1930’s it became an art-deco showcase, boasting an eye-catching entrance now on display at the V&A museum, 980 bedrooms and coal fired steam boilers salvaged from World War I battleships. The Winter Garden restaurant seated over 500 guests under…
We already know saving electricity is not only good economical sense, but also positively impacts the environment by reducing green house gas emissions that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere further adding to the already delicate state of our planet. However, there is another, just as important reason to switch off lights and bask in…